Indicast - All Podcasts
425 episodes - English - Latest episode: 6 days ago - ★★★★★ - 23 ratingsIndicast is India's longest running and most popular Indian podcast network. This is the mother feed of all the shows produced by Indicast including a current affairs new show, a business news show, a tech show from an Indian perspective, a bollywood movie review show and a conversational interview show. Expect a good discussion with few laughs in our special India focused content. Individual show feeds are available at http://www.theindicast.com
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Episodes
Indicast #218: A Tribute to SP Balasubramaniam
September 27, 2020 12:30 - 35 minutes - 19.5 MBThe thirteenth edition of Indian Premier League kicked off in the United Arab Emirates. In a string of unfortunate events, Dean Jones died after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest. Former Union Minister Jaswant Singh passed away too. S P Balasubramaniam succummed to the coronavirus. Meanwhile, the infamous Godman, Nithyanand is in exile and wants his own central bank. And a super rat was awarded a well deserved gold medal for detecting landmines in Cambodia.
Indicast #217: Salute, Shinzo Abe and RIP Pranab Mukherjee
September 06, 2020 12:30 - 28 minutes - 19.5 MBShinzo Abe, Japans longest serving prime minister called it a day and Pranab Mukherjee, Indias former president passed away. We talk about their illustrious careers. India and Russia were announced as joint winners at the first online Chess Olympiad when a global Internet outage caused Indian players to get disconnected. We digress to talk about doping in chess and segue into why Thar desert is turning green and why it may not be a good thing. Meanwhile, amid the covid-19 pandemic, the India...
Indicast #216: Well Played, Dhoni and Ganapati Bappa Morya
August 23, 2020 12:30 - 31 minutes - 19.5 MBIt is that time of the year when we get high on some Ganapati fever. This year though the coronavirus has subdued all celebrations. In this episode we talk about how the festival itself has evolved over the years. In other news, MSD announced his retirement from international cricket. Miles away, Kamala Harris was appointed as the vice presidential candidate from the Democratic Party. And the hunt for a vaccine to beat the scourge is on.
Indicast #215: Splitnernet
August 10, 2020 12:30 - 20 minutes - 19.5 MBWe recorded the podcast on the 75th Anniversary of the Nagasaki bombing. The World has come a long way with countries showing aggression by banning each other's apps and internet services. Where is this heading towards? A Splitnernet? Or is it just the Election season in the US. As for our corona story of this episode, we discuss online gaming being one of the industries that are raking it in during Corona.
Indicast #214: Indias Education Policy and Nuclear Fusion Reactor
August 04, 2020 12:30 - 34 minutes - 14.7 MBIndias National Education Policy of 2020, announced a few days ago, promises to ditch rote learning in favour of conceptual clarity. There is more to it, of course. In this podcast, we compare what it was like growing up in our existing system and what it promises to be under the new regime. And in other news, we talk about the worlds largest nuclear fusion reactor in France which took baby steps to begin its five year assembly phase. Expect some science chatter as we discuss the mind bogglin...
Indicast #213: Love in the time of Coronavirus
July 27, 2020 12:30 - 31 minutes - 14.7 MBIt has been a while. 4 Years, to be precise. Now under lockdown and nowhere to go, we are back with a new episode after taking a four-year vacation. We yap a bit about what's been going on in our lives before talking about how coronavirus has changed the way we live and behave with others. How has it impacted various professions? What does it mean for love at first sight? What are some of the novel ways in which folks are falling in love all over again?
Indicast #212: Brexitayanamaha
July 28, 2016 12:30 - 24 minutes - 11.8 MBBrexit will change the course of Britain and Europe in the coming months and years. Dattu Bhokanal, an army man from the drought prone region of Talegaon, once afraid of water, qualifies for the Olympics in water sports. England and Pakistan go at each other in a tightly contested Test series. And what lies beneath Cambodia.
Indicast #211: The Raghuram Rajan era ends
June 25, 2016 12:30 - 21 minutes - 11.8 MBRaghuram Rajan puts in his papers, Donald Trump advances, Kumble is Indias new head coach and Mohammad Ali RIP.
Indicast #210: Make in India
February 20, 2016 12:30 - 27 minutes - 11.8 MB"Make in India" week was kicked out in Mumbai to a mixed response. Modi flagged off the event along several industry leaders. We spend some time talking about TRAI's decision against differential pricing effectively shutting down Free Basics and the reaction to it. Abhishek geeks out on gravitational forces and how it is a BIG thing in understanding the very beginnings of the earth. The other topics include Brendan McCullum retiring, Eagles being trained to bring down drones and BCCI banning ...
Indicast #209: Indias Smart Cities
February 12, 2016 12:30 - 19 minutes - 6.12 MBThe last time we were on air, Sania had won her first doubles Grand Slam title with Martina Hingis. In this episode we talk about her winning her third. But before that we get into Indias urban development minister announcing the first batch of 20 cities to be converted in to smart cities, Delhi's "Odd-Even" policy to counter being world's most polluted city, and the man who almost conquered Antarticas 1000 mile journey alone.
Indicast # 208: Indias Wimbledon moment
July 23, 2015 12:30 - 29 minutes - 20.4 MBSania Mirza and Leander Paes win Wimbledon titles by pairing with Martina Hingis. In cricket, Bangladesh is on a high and so is match fixing in the IPL. Old Monk, the iconic Indian rum needs some reviving. Iran and US ink a historic nuclear deal. And El Shorty Chapo, the most wanted man in Mexico escapes the countrys most secure prison.
Indicast # 207: India, Bangladesh and its crazy border
July 22, 2015 12:30 - 21 minutes - 20.4 MBThe monsoons are back and Mumbai shuts down for a day or two. And then comes a lull. India and Bangladesh agree to swap pieces of land that will redraw the borders of both countries. Myanmar, our tiny neighbor has one of the worlds most persecuted minority known as the Rohingyas. They are circling about in the oceans on creaking ferries knocking on doors of countries to let them in.
Indicast # 206: Indias deadly heatwaves
June 12, 2015 12:30 - 26 minutes - 20.4 MBMore than 2500 people have died in India this summer from the murderous heat. Sepp Blatter, the President of FIFA steps down after several top officials from his team were arrested on charges of corruption. The Indian ice hockey team crowdsources its way into a tournament in Kuwait.
Indicast # 205: The Middle East mayhem
April 25, 2015 12:30 - 31 minutes - 20.4 MBIran and America push for a nuclear deal in which Iran will agree to shun its ambitions to make a nuclear bomb. In return, America and other countries will lift a bunch of sanctions imposed on Iran. Chaos in Yemen reaches a new low as the Indian government completes one of its greatest evacuation programmes. Uber launches a rickshaw hailing app and monkeys disrupt internet in Gujarat.
Indicast # 204: Remembering Richie Benaud
April 17, 2015 12:30 - 37 minutes - 20.4 MBThe legendary Australian cricketer and commentator, Richie Benaud passes away. Atal Bihari Vajpayee is conferred with the Bharat Ratna. Owners of NSE listed Indian companies appoint their wives, daughters and stepmothers as board members. And Ecommerce in India is on steroids.
Indicast # 203: Bihar parents scale new heights
April 01, 2015 12:30 - 29 minutes - 20.4 MBIndias splendid run in the cricket world cup comes to an end in the semifinals. We recorded this on the eve of the finals and we root for New Zealand, a tiny country of 4.4 million. Saina Nehwal is now world number 1 in womens badminton. Rajendra Singh wins the Stockholm Water prize, the equivalent of the Nobel proze for water. More than 750 students have been expelled and 300 people arrested for the mass cheating scheme in the state exams in Bihar. The defense ministry takes cyber security m...
Indicast # 202: 7 matches. 70 wickets. Game on.
March 22, 2015 12:30 - 27 minutes - 20.4 MBIn this world cup, Indian cricket teams dug dug medium pacers and so so spinners have far outclassed our star batsmen. We reach the last leg of the tournament and will play Australia at Sydney in the semi-finals. BBC hires a guy who fakes his way into a panel discussion claiming to be a former Pakistani Test batsman. In other sports news, Indian badminton rising star, Srikant Kidambi wins the Swiss open. Down south, a bunch of engineers have figured out a way to power street lamps by harnessi...
Indicast # 201: India’s squeamish government
March 17, 2015 12:30 - 22 minutes - 86.2 MBBJP bans BBCs documentary on Indias daughter. In other news, it bans beef in Maharashtra. A solar powered plane takes off for a trip around the world. An in-form Indian team advance in the world cup. With the knock out stages of the competition round the corner, there are no clear favourites to win the cup.
Indicast # 200: Nervous 90s
March 06, 2015 12:30 - 29 minutes - 20.4 MBFor more than 50 years R K Laxmans You Said It made people laugh and squirm at Indian politics. In this episode, we talk a bit about his work ethic. In Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party bags more than half of all votes in the state elections and yet continues to remain on thin ice. The cricket World Cup is on and India has won all their matches in the group stages so far. Arun Jaitley announces the much anticipated Union Budget and Aditya tries to explain how India calculates its GDP.
Indicast # 199: Remembering Robin Williams
August 23, 2014 12:30 - 31 minutes - 20.4 MBFrom what depths of his soul would Robin Williams have scrapped out all the laughter and pleasantries for us, said a Tweet summarising for us the man who spent most of his life spreading happiness through his quirks. RIP Robin Williams. Ebola has swept large parts of Liberia, Sierra Leone and New Guinea. There is no cure, 90 per cent of those afflicted die and the WHO has described it as a public health emergency of international concern. And Why do migratory birds get confused when they over...
Indicast # 198: Grim times
July 25, 2014 12:30 - 47 minutes - 20.4 MBThe theme remains the same. For centuries, countries have gone to war in the name of politics or religion. Innocent people have died. They continue to die. The latest on the list is Malaysian Airlines MH17 which was shot down from 33,000 feet in Eastern Ukraine, killing everyone on board. In the Arab world, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria marches ahead with barbaric ferocity. Israel and Palestine have rekindled their old rivalry. In other news, India's new government presents its first Un...
Indicast # 197: And now the hard part
June 01, 2014 12:30 - 40 minutes - 10.9 MBNow that Narendra Modi and his ministers have taken oath, India will hope for some action. While the cabinet may not hit the ground running, Modi has asked all his lieutenants to submit a 100 day plan of action for each of their ministries. The venerable Ambassador car calls it a day. Madhav Mantri, Indias oldest test cricketer dies. Two Indian Americans make history in the annual Scripps national spelling bee competition. We end with the weighty issue concerning a young Irish messo Soprano i...
Indicast # 196: The Modi melodrama
May 26, 2014 12:30 - 36 minutes - 10.9 MBThe Modi melodrama continues and it need not necessarily be a bad thing. A few months from now, he will be judged on different parameters. For now, his speeches are drawing applauses and tears. At about this time, last month, miles away in another continent, Iraq, too, conducted what was a mostly peaceful national elections. Hats off to people who came out to vote in a country where walking on the street, on some days, is as dangerous as straddling the India Pakistan border. As the Eurpoean U...
Indicast # 195: Which Modi will turn up
May 18, 2014 12:30 - 34 minutes - 10.9 MBIn arguably the biggest day in Indian politics, the Bharatiya Janata Party, after spending a decade in opposition, has swept into power. The margin of victory is so huge that it has reduced Congress to a negligible force in the parliament. Most of India has welcomed the long awaited change. And yet a sizable chunk, views his appointment with scepticism, and some, even with fear. They, rightly, point to the 2001 Gujarat riots that happened when he was the states chief minister. In this episode...
Indicast # 194: Death of the death penalty
May 07, 2014 12:30 - 35 minutes - 10.9 MBWhile the general elections in India was marred by violence at two venues, Afghanistan conducted a peaceful elections earlier in April. Capital punishment in Egypt reached new heights when one of its courts condemned more than six hundred people to death penalty. A new earthlike plant has been discovered, but it is still many light years away. Rajeev Suri will head the new Nokia. Chinese schools feel the pressure of Olympic babies and Shakespeare turned 450 late last month.
Indicast # 193: Deadly days are here again
April 25, 2014 12:30 - 36 minutes - 10.9 MBThe death toll of this podcast runs in hundreds. An avalanche has killed sixteen Sherpas on Mount Everest. Russia continues to flex its muscles to scare tiny Ukraine as the West and the EU watch on. In South Korea a ferry capsizes killing more than 300 onboard. The country also faces a suicide epidemic. In Syria, four French journalists have been freed after ten months of captivity. And RIP Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Indicast # 192: The greatest show in democracy
April 20, 2014 12:30 - 29 minutes - 10.9 MBOnce in five years India breaks its own record of successfully conducting the worlds biggest general elections. In this one we doff our topis to Indias election commission. In related news, two new books on Congress give us a glimpse of what Dr Manmohan Singh went through in his two terms. We talk a bit about where he will go from now. Aditya narrates a list of interesting candidates that the elections have thrown up including the usual suspects like Mr. LK Adwani, who will contest yet again ...
Indicast # 191: The missing plane
March 18, 2014 12:30 - 20 minutes - 10.9 MBThe case of the missing plane gets mysterious by the day. Twenty six countries including India are involved in search operations. Subrata Roy, owner of Sahara Parivar pulls off a multi-crore scam which lands him in jail. The general election voting season kicks off soon and IPL, which is scheduled around the elections will be played in two countries. Before signing off, Aditya regales us with updates on his two month old kid.
Indicast # 190: The Kejriwal connundrum
February 17, 2014 12:30 - 25 minutes - 10.9 MBArvind Kejriwals life in the fast lane came to an abrupt end when he resigned as the Chief Minister of Delhi on Friday. Another star who stole the show a few weeks back was Rahul Gandhi. His impeccably eventful performance on his first big TV interview baffled one and all. In sports, we have the Sochi Olympics, IPL auctions, England cricket woes and Indias tours New Zealand. And oh Aditya is now a brand new daddy. Hurray!
A conversation with Edward Carr, Foreign editor of The Economist on US foreign policy
January 04, 2014 12:30 - 25 minutes - 11.5 MBEdward Carr, Foreign editor of The Economist takes us through his brilliant special report on US foreign policy. He argues that inspite of a dreadful decade abroad, Americans are unduly pessimistic about their place in the world. The rise of China as a formidable player in world affairs is undisputed, but its economic heft does not yet qualify it to be a geopolitical influence that America wields. In this podcast he talks about some of important keywords that have bothered US in the last few ...
Indicast # 189: The new king of chess
November 26, 2013 12:30 - 27 minutes - 10.9 MBIn sports, everyone loves a good contest. And when Magnus Carlsen, the 22 year old Norwegian prodigy beat Vishy Anand, chess entered a new era. In this podcast we talk about how these giants of the game prepare to get there. Another prodigy, Prithvi Shaw smashed 546 in the 2013 Harris Shield tournament. This week also marks the 50th anniversary of Indias first rocket launch from Thumba, a small hamlet in south India. And of course, some Ashes updates right at the end.
Indicast # 188: Sachin Sachin
November 20, 2013 12:30 - 21 minutes - 10.9 MBStatisticians love to debate about whether Sachin Tendulkar is indeed the best batsmen that the game has ever seen. Perhaps not. He ranks 29th according to one analysis. But Sachin has captured the imaginations of world cricket like no other player. In India he is revered for his performances on and off the field. As he calls curtains on a glorious career, we look back at his exploits with the bat including the stroke filled 74 at the Wankhede. We were there. At the stadium. And it was a joy ...
Indicast # 187: Manna Dey RIP
November 07, 2013 12:30 - 25 minutes - 10.9 MBIn this podcast, we talk about Manna Dey, one of the greatest singers known to us. In sports, Ajit Agarkar retires. Aditya talks about his experience of watching Sachin get out in the 90s at the Wankhede stadium as he prepares to play his last two Tests. In Australia, tree leaves can offer clues for spotting gold deposits and why voting cannot us any good, says an MP.
Indicast # 186: Indias princely states
August 19, 2013 12:30 - 23 minutes - 10.9 MBWith Telangana fast tracked into another state, we found an excuse to talk a bit about the history of Indias princely states and how the country was formed as an amalgamation of more than 500 mini states ruled by princes. In cricket, India whitewashes Zimbabwe while the IPL runs into further mess.
Indicast # 185: Indias food for thought
July 25, 2013 12:30 - 22 minutes - 10.9 MBThe week started off with the shocking news of kids in Bihar dying from eating food that was cooked in utensils previously used for storing insecticides. The mid day meal program from across India has mixed reviews, but this episode highlights how, when it comes to even the bare essentials, we are way off. In other news, Britains royal baby tumbled forth, the great Arun Bose of Bose speakers passes away and Indian Badminton league makes a debut.
Indicast # 184: India disconnects Telegrams
July 18, 2013 12:30 - 24 minutes - 11.5 MBA lot of water has flown under the bridge since we recorded a podcast last time. Uttarakhand remains buried, telegram is dead, Murray has won the Wimbledon, Modi is slammed for wishing happy Ramadan to a few of his Muslim friends and a bloke from Rajasthan gets himself a hall ticket with Barack Obama's picture on it.
Indicast # 183: Remembering Pran Sahab
April 13, 2013 12:30 - 15 minutes - 7.64 MBOne of the most versatile actors of his time, Pran was chosen for the Dadasaheb Phalke award earlier this month. India makes progress to get its polio erradication certificate from the WHO. A single man cultivates an entire forest in Assam. His name is Jadav Peyang. And the most expensive dog fetches close to a million pounds in UK.
Indicast # 182: The Sanjay Dutt story
March 21, 2013 12:30 - 17 minutes - 8.89 MBWith Vijay, Pujara, Kohli, Jadeja, Dhoni all getting their personal bests, all seems well with Indian cricket. For now. Sanjay Dutt has been ordered to serve his time in prison. A new pope gets appointed and Bill Gates floats a 100,000 USD grant for anyone who can come up with a next generation condom. Also, tell us what you think of our new website.
Indicast # 181: Another day, another Blast
March 08, 2013 12:30 - 13 minutes - 10.9 MBIn this episode we talk about the Hyderabad blasts, the successful launch of a PSLV by ISRO and Fauja Singh, the 101 year old running his last marathon.
Indicast # 180: The Kumbh festival
February 22, 2013 12:30 - 13 minutes - 10.9 MBSorry about the radio silence. In this long coming episode and the first one of 2013, we talk about the Maha Kumbh mela, changing rape laws and the perpetual peace talks that continue with our friendly neighbour inspite of the cross border firings and the most recent brutal killing of Jawans on the front.
Indicast # 179: The rapes
December 27, 2012 12:30 - 17 minutes - 10.9 MBA spate of rape cases show up on the radar as media mercifully covers the most recent gang rape of a 23 year old woman in Delhi. All politicians including the home minister and the prime minster make a mockery of themselves by reading out prepared statements or making careless remarks on television. In Gujarat, Narendra Modi gets elected for third time in a row. In sports, Sachin Tendulkar retires from One Day Internationals. And DARPA comes up with a magic foam to help army men in rescue ope...
Indicast # 178: Pandit Ravi Shankar RIP
December 17, 2012 12:30 - 15 minutes - 10.9 MBPandit Ravi Shankar passes away. The great man was a bundle of energy and had performed on stage with his daughter in the US at the ripe age of 94. Text messaging turns 20. Saudi Arabia adds SMS tracking of wives to its increasingly long list of injustice towards women. At a village in Bihar, a local committee has banned women from carrying mobile phones. The Panchayat believes that this will lead to fewer elopements.
BiziNation #65: ArcelorMittal Vs the French government
December 07, 2012 12:30 - 12 minutes - 14.8 MBThe French government has made the classic mistake. Of interfering in business. Lakshmi Mittal is miffed as he has been asked not to shut down two of his loss making blast furnaces in Florange unless he wants to see all his French outfits getting nationalised. Greece gets another bail out package and in Australia, cigarette packaging will no longer carry any glamorous images or colours. Just plain packaging.
Indicast # 177: FDI in retail gets real
December 07, 2012 12:30 - 23 minutes - 10.9 MBThis week, the Lok Sabha gives a green signal for allowing FDI in retail. Bihar pulls off an amazing track record of growth by beating Maharashtra and Gujarat. In sports, Ricky Ponting retires and Freddie Flintoff takes to boxing. Sachin finally gets a fifty after his worst slump in two decades. The Kabbadi world cup is being played in Punjab. And a weed wacking robot from two Stanford trained engineers trawls lettuce fields, identifies weeds and kills them using a concentrated dose of fertil...
BiziNation #64: Indian Pepsi league
December 02, 2012 12:30 - 18 minutes - 14.8 MBBCCI has been quite the negotiator. It got Pepsi to pay twice as what DLF had paid in the previous edition of the IPL. This comes at a time when the popularity of IPL is possibly at its lowest according to many surveys. Amidst all the talks of recession, in October, Porsche sold a record number of vehicles in India. Also, according to a recent World Bank report, India receives more money through repatriation than any other. And typewriters are called off the shelves in UK.
Indicast # 176: Ajmal Kasab hanged
November 27, 2012 12:30 - 23 minutes - 10.9 MBFour years after the grisly event, Ajmal Kasab was hanged at the Yerwada Central Jail in Pune. In international news, Israel pummels Gaza for eight straight days. More than 140 Palestinians were killed before a cease fire came into effect. Somewhere on this planet, a few people still believe that the world will come to an end this December and hope to seek refuge near a hill in France. The French authorities, fearing commotion have blocked entry to the venue. And a bunch of folks at Carnegie ...
BiziNation #63: Of double dips and fiscal cliffs
November 23, 2012 12:30 - 12 minutes - 14.8 MBThe Euro Zone goes under all over again. The latest numbers suggest that all seventeen countries of the Euro have posted two consecutive quarters of negative growth. And when that happens, the economy is said to be under recession. The US, which is known to come up with fancy phrases to describe their economic plights, have done it again. This time the popular phrase is the fiscal cliff. Back home in India, Raymond, the apparel maker will soon launch its own brand of beer shampoo.
Jon Fasman of The Economist on his experience of covering the US presidential elections
November 22, 2012 12:30 - 18 minutes - 11.5 MBIn this podcast, Jon Fasman of The Economist talks about his on ground experience of covering the US presidential elections. Over the past few months Jon travelled across the country, attended rallies, conducted interviews, met strangers, filed articles, wrote online, did live blogging, recorded podcasts and met crazy deadlines. To report the greatest political event on the planet, a little bit of insomnia came in handy too. Given a chance, would he do it again. In a heartbeat, he says.
Indicast # 175: Balasaheb Thackeray dead
November 20, 2012 12:30 - 17 minutes - 10.9 MBThe man had a mafia like control over the city so much that he had it change its name because he did not like it. In this podcast we talk a bit about Bal Thackerays beginnings, his quirks, agendas and of course his legendary oratorical skills. In other political news, Rahul Gandhi has been asked to lead the Congress poll campaign in the upcoming 2014 general elections. In some happy news, a bunch of doctors from University of Michigan claim to have devised a pacemaker which can be powered by ...
Indicast # 174: Of Diwali and the Kejriwal bomb
November 14, 2012 12:30 - 20 minutes - 10.9 MBThe greatest spectacle on the American soil comes to an end and Barack Obama wins it for the second time. But we are more interested in George Bush Jr accidentally voting for Obama. Back home, Arvind Kejriwal tops the popularity charts on all news channels and newspapers. Vijay Mallya sells off a majority stake in his spirit business in the hope to rescue his airline company. And Happy Diwali to everyone.